Scocos back on board at Veterans agency

A new Secretary was sworn in Thursday for the state Department of Veterans Affairs. Governor Scott Walker has picked John Scocos to be Secretary of the agency, a post he held before he was fired two years ago. He becomes Secretary again under a new state law which makes the post a cabinet position appointed by the governor. “I see some tremendous challenges for us,” said Scocos, referring to the need to find jobs for returning service personnel. “We need to work with our state partners, which makes this so important. Being a cabinet secretary, now you’re at the table. You have the governor’s support and you have the agency’s support, versus the board.” A veterans board controlled by appointees of then-Governor Jim Doyle fired Scocos as Secretary in November of 2009, shortly after he returned from a second tour of duty in Iraq. He promises to continue pursuing a lawsuit against that dismissal. “To this date I’ve never been told why they let me go,” he said. “We’re going to win that in court, and I’m looking forward to it.”